Muslim Woman Suing City For Violating Her Religious Rights

On September 15, 2014, a Muslim woman was arrested for parking her car in a no-parking zone outside a Wal-Mart. A warrant for Aldhalimi’s arrest due to an unpaid parking violation was revealed when police checked the license plate and registration number. Maha Aldhalimi then claims that the officer ordered her to remove her hijab for her booking photo.

Crying, she tried to explain to the officers why she could not remove her hijab as it violates her religious beliefs. When her son arrived at the station, he also explained that she could not remove it in front of strangers. As a result, Aldhalimi filed a lawsuit on June 30 against the city of Dearborn. The lawsuit states that the officers disregarded her concerns and ordered her “to remove her hijab or it would be removed involuntarily against her will.” In addition, Aldhalimi said she "was shivering and crying from the humiliation and distress of the encounter and orders."

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit with the Michigan chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. This isn't the first complaint against the Dearborn police for forcing Muslim women to remove their hijabs. In a court filing this year, the Dearborn police said they have the right to remove a hijab for security reasons.

Photo: USA Today, The Shoppers Weekly

The woman had a warrant out for her arrest due to unpaid parking tickets.